Time To Make A Change

I have decided to kick my own butt into gear and get myself healthier and fit!  Here is my plan (at least my rough draft...I am sure I will make changes as I think of them):

Quit smoking (last cigarette was June 2, 2012...yeah)
Pack my lunch every day for work
Go to the gym Monday/Wednesday/Friday for strength training
Run at least five days a week (Monday through Friday is ideal)
Cut back on the junk food
Keep track of my calories and exercise using the Lose It app on my phone and/or Nook Color

I generally work Wednesday through Sunday.  On Wednesdays, I will plan on running in the morning before work and then driving STRAIGHT to the gym after work to do my strength training.  On Fridays I work half days right now so I will drive straight to the gym, do my strength training and then do my run.  However if I start my run after I workout, I will just leave from the gym because every route that I have created has me running pass my gym.  I could make that my start/end point.

Besides wanting to get into better shape and be healthier, I want to work towards running a half marathon.  I do not want to do it for time, I just want to be able to complete one.  I want to be able to run the whole thing without stopping.  Even if I have to slow my pace just to be able to complete it, I will!  I have signed myself up for another 5K...and it is a color run!  It is August 12, 2012 at 9am in Seattle.  I know two people who have also signed up.  I cannot wait!  It is going to be a blast.  Now as for the half marathon, I am thinking that I will either aim for the half in Eugene or the Rock and Roll half in Seattle next Summer.

I plan on at least starting the running before work thing tomorrow morning so I am going to hit the sack and try and get some sleep!  Until next time!

It Has Been A Week!

Last week seemed like it just dragged on and on and I remember calling it the week from hell but I honestly cannot remember why.  This week has been just exhausting.  I hung out with this cute guy on Monday night (I really hope to see him again) and then woke up Tuesday feeling a little under the weather.  That lasted until today.  I finally started to feel a little bit better today.  Being so tired this week though seemed to make the week drag.  I did manage to not smack my head on anything...until later this afternoon.

Yesterday was probably the worst so far (I still have two more days of work until my weekend starts).  I did not expect it to rain and went to work in tennis shoes only to have my socks soaking wet and walked around all day long hearing and feeling my feet go *squishy* *squishy* all day!  I literally peeled my socks off last night when I got home.  I spent most of the day inside waxing an airplane for a customer (and the plane is HUGE) and did not have to go outside much.  I did venture my way out to fuel some planes before I clocked out and my foot slipped off the clutch on the truck and it smashed into my shin.  It was that horrible kind of pain that instantly makes you want to cry and vomit at the same time.

I woke up this morning and was not sure if I was really feeling much better but I put on my brightly colored slap bracelet watch and walked out the door and felt like I could make it through the day!  Now I am super tired and I have to make my way to the store and get some arch supports for my blown out tennis shoes and get my butt in bed so I am rested for the Survivor Mud Run in the morning!  I drove out to Carnation and picked up mine and my mom's shirts and bibs.

Until next time!!!

Training for a Run from Hell!

I had initially planned on writing this blog post about the 5K I ran on Mother's Day but I cannot find my mom's camera which has the pictures from race day. No idea what I am talking about? Play catch up here!

So I am training for this run from hell. By "training" I mean I am just running and trying to get my time quicker. This run is going to require MORE than just fast running. It is an obstacle course. 22 obstacles over the course of 3.47 hellish miles (and that is exactly what the website called it)! Want to read more about it or see if you can survive? Check out the Survivor Mud Run website.

After I convinced my mom and my sisters to run in the 5K on Mother's Day, my mom comes into my room one night and tells me to google "Survivor Mud Run". After taking a look at it and clicking through the photos of the obstacles I tell her that it looks like fun. Then she proceeds to tell me, "Good...because I signed us up."

A few days later when the initial shock has kind of worn off, I asked her how long is the race. She says, "Just under three and a half miles." I can handle that. I have not ran that far in years but I have total faith in myself and my legs to carry me through. After she prints off our confirmation emails I ask her exactly how far the run is and she says 3.47 miles. Dang...she was not kidding when she said just under three and a half.

Of the 22 obstacles, only 21 pictures are shown. One of the obstacles is a "mystery". If it is one of the pictures I saw online from another race it will be jumping through a line of fire. It does not look scary at all. In fact I believe the fire in my backyard fire pit was about ten times bigger and some of my drunken friends jumped through that no problem.

Anyway, I have been running a few times and can complete 3.34 miles in less than 35 minutes. Now I just need to get into the gym and work on this lack of upper body strength. I mean I have muscles but I have never been able to climb a rope or anything. I know that there is a wall to scale and I think I can handle it but my mom signed us up for the earliest time she could...11:45am. I just have my fingers crossed that I can get it all done in an hour or less so I can be hosed off and get my work clothes on so my mom can drop me off at work...and that I start work at 3pm otherwise I do not know what I am going to do.

Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures later of the race on Mother's Day! Until next time!